Harold Wood
July 06, 2009

CRICKET AT RILEY PARK

Cricket has played an important part of life in Calgary, and records show that as far back as 1884 it was a popular sport. In 1908 the Calgary and District Cricket League (C & D.C.L.) was formed consisting of the Calgary Club, St. Johns Club, Hillhurst and Sheep Creek. 

Edmonton v Calgary 1954

A milestone in Calgary’s cricket history was the visit of the Australian Eleven in 1913. Over the years the league grew to include the South Calgary; Harlequins; Falcons; Astras and the Bankers and Brokers clubs and by 1920 there were no less than twelve teams competing in the league. The visit by the Australians in 1932 was an outstanding event for Calgary cricketers, as was a tour of Canada by a team from the famous M.C.C. (Marylebone Cricket Club) from England in 1937.

Ernie Wood, Vancouver 1939

My father, Ernest (Ernie) Wood immigrated to Calgary from Manchester, England in the early 1930’s and soon joined South Calgary Cricket Club - by 1949 he captained the team. Some of my earliest memories are of summer Saturday afternoons spent at Riley Park watching the match with my mother and my younger brother Ed. The ladies helped out in the pavilion and there was always plenty of weak, scalding hot tea and sandwiches.

Several of our neighbours on 25A Street SW in Killarney were cricketers too, including Bud and Bernie Cartwright, Eric Ellerby and Jim Kirkwood. Among other names I recall are Aubrey Edwards; Cyril Falk; Pat Higgs; Jack Horwood; George Pain; Ted Smythe; Peter Snell; Sid and Harry Taylor; Percy Tims; and Tommy Tompkins.

L-R: Ernie, Harold and Ed Wood

One night a week the team set up nets and wickets for bowling and batting practice and I started going along. When I was about twelve years old I joined the team, playing cover point. One memorable game saw me playing alongside 70-year old Sam Pike, a well-known cricketer in both England and Canada. I took one wicket for no runs when put to bowl. At sixteen I needed glasses and suddenly batting lost it’s charms and so did cricket! 

Today cricket is more popular than ever and the C & D.C.L. has three divisions, eighteen teams and over 300 members still playing at beautiful Riley Park.

Barbara Cameron
April 28, 2009

GLENMORE/KINGSLAND COMMUNITY MEMORIES

The McClean family, our father Sam, mother Thelma, Stewart, Betty and I, lived in Kingsland for only six years (from 1941 to 1947) yet, why after all these years do fond memories of our old community linger above all others? I believe it’s because we really had a sense of community back then. Everyone pretty well knew who lived in the community and when a need arose in the community it was neighbours helping neighbours.

We lived south of the Glenmore Community Hall (then located immediately north of what is now 68th Avenue and Macleod Trail S.W) with its’ parking lot behind our home. The Conquergood family lived next to us on the east side immediately behind the hall. Our cousins, Sammie and Marie McClean lived next to them. Mr. and Mrs. Poole lived to the west of us next door. Pat and Mary Fisher and their family lived on the east side of Glenmore Hall.

My sister Betty and I were quite young when Elsie Bamford (whom I thought could pick out any tune on the piano) got us up on the Glenmore Hall stage to sing at various functions. I remember one occasion Elsie had us dress as an old couple for an Anniversary party. I can still, 50+ years later, remember the chorus and tune to that song – “When the old age pension cheque comes to our door, we won’t have to eat baloney anymore. Every dog will have a bone, every kid an ice cream cone, when the old age pension cheque comes to our door.”

I started school in 1943, the year Milton Williams School opened to grades 7, 8 and 9. (This school was located across from the current Phil’s Pancake House and had to be torn down for the widening of Glenmore Trail). Stewart and Betty, ahead of me, had been attending Glenmore School, (which was located on the current site of the South Calgary YMCA on Heritage Drive S.W.) Our classes at Milton Williams were treated to a field trip up to the Glenmore Dam Waterworks building where Harry Bamford proudly took us through his domain. We enjoyed our lunch down on the lawn below the spillway. Both Elsie and Harry generously contributed interesting memories in the history of the old community.

In grade four at Glenmore School, I was the recipient of a gift of Scarlet Fever from Glen Greene. At least I always thought he was responsible because we were the only two in the school to have the disease and he caught it first. In those days, Scarlet Fever entitled you to 6 weeks quarantine, and about 28 days in bed. With the quarantine notice on the front of our house, Stewart and Betty had to stay home from school, my father had to stay with the neighbours when he was home from his CNR travels, and Mother had to put up with all three of us through the whole ordeal. I remember the generosity of our neighbours who left Halloween goodies on our front step because we couldn’t go out. After my return to health, the City of Calgary Health Inspectors traveled out to fumigate the house before father could come home or we were allowed to entertain society again. Fortunately Scarlet Fever is better known today and the treatment is not so drastic. Would be interesting to hear what Glen’s memories are of his illness.

How could anyone ever talk about the Glenmore/Kingsland district without mentioning Humfrey’s Store (which became the site of the Jack Carter Dealership at the corner of Macleod Trail and Glenmore Trail) and the generosity of Mr. and Mrs. Humfrey, Muriel and Dorothy? Many times they would give us rides when we walked to or from the streetcar loop at the city limits at 50th avenue. Those rides were especially appreciated on cold winter days. Though I was quite young I remember Mr. Humfrey ran a grocery charge system for many if not all of his customers. I don’t believe we had chocolate bars at the time but I do recall chocolate puff cookies were a special treat. Our parents would trade Ration Coupons with each other during the Second World War, and I wonder how Mr. Humfrey kept it all straight.

Walking the mile and a half to Glenmore School was great fun and we always took the short cut along the railway tracks. Mother never knew what we would pick up on our travels though usually frogs from the irrigation ditch were a favorite to bring home in our lunch pails. Spring brought lots of water to the ditches along the highway and the melted irrigation ditch was enticing. Even though we wore high-top rubber boots, the inside had to be dried overnight under the stove. Most of the girls in our school had a ring around their legs from their boots rubbing just below the knee. The irrigation ditch was used in the winter for our noon-hour recreational skating rink too.

Glenmore School ball teams traveled to the nearby town of Midnapore to play in team competition. We played in front of the old community hall and small church. Both buildings can still be seen facing westward towards Macleod Trail in the district of Midnapore.

My mother, remembers the Credit Union started I believe by Ernie Fielder. My parents and the Conquergoods were members when the Credit Union set up in Glenmore Hall.

Family picnics in the summer were such fun! Food was shared in a potluck system and we sometimes held races for penny candy. We children splashed in Fish Creek while the parents caught up on local news.

We moved during summer holidays between ’48 & ’49 I think to new adventures in the city.

NOTE: The foregoing article (except for the four bracketed notes contained therein) was part of an assortment of stories and memories written by former Glenmore students and assembled for a Glenmore School reunion in the year 2000.